The extraordinary diversity of tropical herbivores may be linked to hostplant specialization driven in part by variation in pressure from natural enemies. We quantified levels of host-specificity and parasitoid attack for the specialist herbivore, Eois (Geometridae). The goals of this research were to examine: 1) whether Eois are specialized on the genus Piper (Piperaceae) and if hostplant spec...

The stems of some myrmecophytes in Piper are used as domatia by resident ant colonies. Hollow, ant-occupied stems were previously known only in four species of southern Central American Piper, all members of Section Macrostachys. Here we present two additional, unrelated, hollow-stemmed myrmecophytes from Ecuador: P. immutatum and P. pterocladum (members of sections Radula and Peltobryon, respe...

Piper nigrum leaves were collected from five locations from Kerala within a radius of 150 km, altitudinal variance of 1000m and annual rainfall variance of 1400mm. The extracted Piper nigrum leaf oil was profiled using a GC-MS, Beta Caryophyllene was the only constituent that was present in all the five locations, of which the highest concentration was noted in the high altitude region of Idukk...

Piper nigrum leaves were collected from five locations from Kerala within a radius of 150 km, altitudinal variance of 1000m and annual rainfall variance of 1400mm. The extracted Piper nigrum leaf oil was profiled using a GC-MS, Beta Caryophyllene was the only constituent that was present in all the five locations, of which the highest concentration was noted in the high altitude region of Idukk...

Mimicry and camouflage are an important protective measure for nudibranch gastropods. In the genus Phyllodesmium, species have evolved elaborate morphological traits that allow them to be very cryptic among their coral prey. In this study, three new species of Phyllodesmium from the Philippine islands are described: Phyllodesmium tuberculatum n. sp., Phyllodesmium pinnatum n. sp., and Phyllodes...

The essential oils of Piper cernuum and Piper regnellii leaves were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and the results were compared to that obtained by means of a program designed to analyse (13)C-NMR data of complex mixtures. Bicyclogermacrene (21.88 %)/beta-caryophyllene (20.69 %) and myrcene (52.60 %)/linalool (15.89 %) were the major constituents in essential oil from...

-Extract ion of the stems and leaves of Piper ridleyi with ether afforded N-isobutyl-15-(3',4'-methylenedioxyphenyl)-2E,4E,12E-pentadecatrienamide (ridleyamide), as well as the known amide, retrofractamide, and sterols. I N T R O D U C T I O N A variety of unsaturated isobutylamides have been isolated from plant sources, in particular from members of the genus Piper [1]. These compounds are of ...

Hypercholesterolemia is a dominant risk factor for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. In the present study, the putative antihypercholesterolemic and antioxidative properties of an ethanolic extract of Piper betle and of its active constituent, eugenol, were evaluated in experimental hypercholesterolemia induced by a single intraperitoneal injection of Triton WR-1339 (300 mg/kg b.wt) ...

There is an increasing interest to identify plant-derived natural products with antitumor activities. In this work, we have studied the effects of aqueous leaf extracts from Amazonian Vismia and Piper species on human hepatocarcinoma cell toxicity. Results showed that, depending on the cell type, the plants displayed differential effects; thus, Vismia baccifera induced the selective killing of ...

Piper nigrum leaves were collected from five locations from Kerala within a radius of 150 km, altitudinal variance of 1000m and annual rainfall variance of 1400mm. The extracted Piper nigrum leaf oil was profiled using a GC-MS, Beta Caryophyllene was the only constituent that was present in all the five locations, of which the highest concentration was noted in the high altitude region of Idukk...